About Us - ISKCON Malaysia About Us About Us Background The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as ‘the Hare Krishna’ movement, was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. While some classified it as a new religious movement, its core philosophy is based on scriptures such as the Bhagavad-Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam, both of which date back more than two millennia. The distinctive appearance of the movement and its culture come from the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, which has had adherents in India ever since the late 1400s. Early converts to the movement were dated to early 1930s. Non-sectarian in its ideals, ISKCON was formed to spread the practice of ‘Bhakti yoga’ (The Yoga of Devotion); wherein aspirant devotees (Bhaktas) dedicate their thoughts and actions towards pleasing Supreme Lord, Krishna (seen as non-different from God). About ISKCON Malaysia ISKCON Malaysia was established in 1980.

Today, there are over 20 registered branches and over 9 active preaching centres nationwide, not including the innumerable number of get-togethers. Most of these centres are managed by congregation devotees who volunteer their time and resources for the service of Lord Krishna. ISKCON worldwide is managed by the Governing Body Commission comprising of more than 30 elected members. They meet once a year in Sri Mayapur Dham, India , the ISKCON headquarters, for the annual meeting. Members of the GBC are in charge of overseeing preaching activities in different parts of the world. They are called Governing Body Commissioners. The Governing Body Commissioners allocate Zonal Secretaries to govern various zones around the world. The Zonal Secretaries for Malaysia are Jayapataka Swami and Bhanu Swami. The Regional Secretary is Simhesvara dasa. ISKCON Malaysia’s President is Bhaktivrajendranandana Swami and the Vice-President is Vrindavana Candra dasa. Each of the branches or centres in Malaysia, is managed by a committee comprising of elected members. The centres are financially self-sufficient and manage their affairs independently. Periodically, all the local leaders convene to discuss matters of individual and collective concern.

The total number of congregants nationwide (those who are chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra and accept Lord Sri Krishna as Supreme Lord and Srila Prabhupada) is circa 10,000. Activities The core activity is to teach, train and disseminate Vedic culture and philosophy as presented in Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam. This is achieved through various means, such as:- Providing place for worship and learning. Distribution of spiritual books and learning tools. Free food distribution to the needy. Organising Vedic festivals. Spiritual counselling at prison and drug rehabilitation centres. Spiritual counseling for individuals and families. Care for the old. Welfare and charitable activities. SJMKL History The first preaching centre in Kuala Lumpur also known as Sri Jagannatha Mandir, SJMKL, was established in Jalan Anak Gasing, Petaling Jaya in 1981. His Grace Ramasharan prabhu was the first Temple President.

In 1984, the centre was relocated to Taman Kanagapuram, Petaling Jaya, and since 1985, we have established our headquarters in Taman Yarl, Off Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur. Vrindavan Candra dasa took over the leadership for a brief period. During his time, many life-members were made whose contribution helped the movement financially. Simhesvara dasa was the third temple president and he managed for 13 years. During this time many young men joined as residential devotees or brahmacaris. Preaching expanded throughout the country vigorously. New preaching centres mushroomed from North to South of Malaysia and as well as to Kuching. Since the beginning, Sri Jagannatha Mandir operated from residential premises with limited facilities. Nevertheless that did not hamper the growth of our ISKCON in all sectors – congregation, book distribution, preaching activities, festivals, etc. Uttama Caitanya dasa became the fourth temple president from 2001 until 2009 when he departed suddenly during a management football match. The temple saw major renovation and extension to facilitate the increasing activities and attendance during festivals.

Visnu Caitanya dasa replaced him for a year and he made an impressive makeover to the existing temple structure. Seminar rooms were created for meetings and for different language lectures, youth and children which occurred simultaneously on Sundays. He also built an additional room for in-house residents upstairs. Soon after, a team of 6 Temple Presidents comprising of Visnu Caitanya dasa (JPS), Krishna Candra dasaS), Rasika Murari dasa(JPS), Gaura Chandra dasa (RNS), Tattvavit dasa(JPS) and Shanti Rupa devi dasi(JPS) continued running the temple for a short term from late 2010 until late 2011. Today, Sri Jagannatha Mandir is 450-congregant strong. Kripa Sindhu Krishna dasa, who has been at the helm of the management since 2012, is assisted by a team of dedicated congregants. Innovative preaching techniques, elaborate festivals, devotee development and educational activities are just some of the attractions that are the order of the day currently at SJMKL.

Sri Jagannatha Mandir is and will continue to serve as a spiritual oasis for all the sincere souls seeking spiritual realization. Mission of SJMKL SJMKL is dedicated to the spiritual upliftment, and study and dissemination of Krishna consciousness aimed at developing God-conscious individuals for the betterment of society. Objectives of SJMKL The objectives are: To establish a place of worship of Their Lordships, Sri Sri Radha-Krishna. To provide a centre for the study, training, research and dissemination of Vedic culture and knowledge. To promote a balanced, natural way of life, based on spiritual values and principles. To assist develop God-conscious individuals. To increase spiritual fellowship among all living beings in a God-centred environments. To contribute to the national effort in eradicating social ills. Deities Sri Jagannatha Mandir is dedicated to Lord Sri Krishna in His deity form as Jagannatha, meaning Lord of the Universe ( Jag an translates to Universe , natha means Lord ). The temple is of great significance to followers of the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition, whose founder Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu had a special attraction to the Jagannatha deity and lived in Puri , India for many years.

Followers of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Who is no-different from Lord Krishna Himself, accept Lord Sri Krishna as the Supreme Lord. He has many forms in which Lord Jagannatha is one of those. This temple was established in 1985 and has served as the headquarters of ISKCON Malaysia for all these years. Deities in Sri Jagannatha Mandir, Kuala Lumpur On the main altar in the temple, there are three thrones (simhasana). On the central throne are seated Lord Baladeva (Krishna’s brother), Goddess Subhatra ( Krishna ‘s sister) and Lord Jagannatha (in that sequence). Flanking them on the left throne are the marble deities of Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu and Lord Nityananda (to His right) named Sri Sri Nitai Sunder Gaura Hari installed in 2010, and on the right throne is photo of the deities, Sri Sri Radha Syamasunder. On the right of the main temple hall, is the life-sized murti or deity of the founder-acarya of ISKCON, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada who is also worshipped everyday.

Deity darshan timings Website: Email: contact dot iskcon at gmail.com Distance from KL International Airport: 45 minutes Distance from KL City centre: 25 minutes; Nearest commuter station: Petaling (5-7 minutes drive) At present there are no accommodation for guests at the temple. However, you could find some accommodation at nearby hotels below. Transportation: Cost of taxi from Kuala Lumpur city to temple is about RM13 [USD3]. If you are coming from Kuala Lumpur city, the landmark to watch out for is the Pearl Point Hotel which is located at 5 1/4 miles Old Klang road. Take a left turning at traffic lights just after the hotel and a right at traffic lights at the next junction which will take you to Taman Yarl on your right. Srila Prabhupada | Krishna.com Srila Prabhupada Srila Prabhupada’s Legacy His Books Srila Prabhupada considered publishing books about Krishna his life's mission. Amidst managing an international society, he would rise early and spend several hours each morning translating sacred texts from Sanskrit or Bengali into English with elaborate purports, carefully combining the commentaries of previous masters with his own realizations.

To name a few: Bhagavad-gita As It Is, the definitive teachings of Lord Krishna. Srimad-Bhagavatam (Bhagavata Purana), the history of Krishna's incarnations, pastimes and devotees in 18 volumes. Sri Caitanya-caritamrita, the biography and teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in 9 volumes. Nectar of Devotion, the science of bhakti-yoga, devotional service to Krishna. KRSNA, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, a summary study of Lord Krishna's pastimes. These books, comprising over 40 volumes, are now published by the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust in 57 languages, with several million copies sold to people all over the world. His Society In 1966, Srila Prabhupada established the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), also known as the Hare Krishna Movement, with the following purposes: To systematically propagate spiritual knowledge to society at large and to educate all people in the techniques of spiritual life in order to check the imbalance of values in life and to achieve real unity and peace in the world.

To propagate a consciousness of Krishna (God), as it is revealed in the great scriptures of India, Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam. To bring the members of the Society together with each other and nearer to Krishna, the prime entity, thus developing the idea within the members, and humanity at large, that each soul is part and parcel of the quality of Godhead (Krishna). To teach and encourage the sankirtana movement, congregational chanting of the holy name of God, as revealed in the teachings of Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. To erect for the members and for society at large holy places of transcendental pastimes dedicated to the personality of Krishna. To bring the members closer together for the purpose of teaching a simpler, more natural way of life. With a view towards achieving the aforementioned purposes, to publish and distribute periodicals, magazines, books and other writings. From a single storefront temple on 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, New York City, in 1966, ISKCON has grown to over 500 temples, centers, restaurants, schools and farm communities worldwide serving several hundred thousand members. An Exemplary Life Srila Prabhupada taught by example.

For the last part of his life, he led the austere life of a sannyasi, a renunciate, and displayed great humility, never taking undue personal credit for his accomplishments. “My only credit,” he said, “is that I have strictly followed the order of my guru.” His spiritual master, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura, had instructed him to preach the message of Lord Krishna in English and “whenever you get money, print books.” Srila Prabhupada arrived in the West with only $7 and a trunk filled with books about Krishna. He preached the chanting of the holy names of Krishna with full conviction. Gradually, people felt attracted to the chanting and to “Swamiji” and his mission: to spread Krishna consciousness, the original consciousness of the soul. You can get a glimpse into who Srila Prabhupada was and see the life he led on the many hours of film footage available at the Krishna.com Store: Srila Prabhupada Videos . The Bhaktivedanta Institute To establish the scientific merits of Krishna Consciousness and to encourage academic study of the soul, Srila Prabhupada established the Bhaktivedanta Institute (BI).

Staffed by devotee scholars, the BI has published several books on the nature of consciousness, Vedic Cosmology, and the origins of the human race. The Institute has twice gathered renowned scientists for a World Congress on the Synthesis of Science and Religion. The Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust Srila Prabhupada started the Bhaktivedanta Swami Charity Trust to revive and restore some of the important Gaudiya Vaishnava shrines in India. Several temples in Vrindavan and Mayapur are under the Trust’s care. Spiritual Food Distribution Srila Prabhupada taught that food prepared with loving intent as an offering to Krishna becomes sanctified and can uplift the consciousness of spiritually destitute people from the miseries of this world. Distribution of prasadam, sanctified food, is a major outreach activity of the Hare Krishna movement. ISKCON centers hold free Sunday Feasts for the public once a week and at periodic festivals throughout the calendar year. In addition, Srila Prabhupada desired that nobody within a ten-mile radius of a Hare Krishna temple should go hungry.

To this end, temples in India and around the world have set up programs for the free distribution of sanctified food to the needy. The Maha-Mantra Srila Prabhupada introduced the western world to the sublime benefits of chanting the holy names of Krishna in the form of the maha-mantra, or great chant for deliverance: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare Translation: “Oh Energy of God [Hare], Oh All-Attractive Supreme Personality of Godhead [Krishna], Oh Reservoir of Pleasure [Rama], please engage me in Your service!” Srila Prabhupada said that this mantra should be chanted just like a child calling for its mother. It can be chanted at any time for relief from the miseries of material existence and to develop our love of God. Find out more... Srila Prabhupada Festivals On the anniversary of Srila Prabhupada's appearance, Hare Krishna centers worldwide hold a festival in his honor, called Vyasa Puja. Many centers hold additional special events. Mayapura Festival and Prabhupada Reunion.

Held around February-March at the ISKCON Mayapur campus near Nabadwip, West Bengal, India. The reunion is a one-day event, part of the greater Mayapur Festival, a two-week celebration that features seminars by sadhus and experts in various fields of Vaishnava study, a seven-day walking pilgrimage to holy places, and a Gaura Purnima festival on the anniversary of the appearance day of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. E-mail mayapur.chandrodaya@pamho.net. Website: mayapur.com Srila Prabhupada Festival in Los Angeles. Held on Memorial Day weekend (towards the end of May) at the New Dwaraka community, this two-day festival includes a reunion of disciples and a Harinama procession in downtown Santa Monica. The ISKCON of New Dwaraka temple was Srila Prabhupada's headquarters in the West for many years, and his rooms here are carefully preserved as a shrine for visitors. Also featured is Srila Prabhupada's garden, where he often sat and conversed with dignitaries and disciples.

E-mail info@prabhupadafestival.com or call (310) 815-9393. Or visit Prabhupada Family Reunion at 26 2nd Avenue, New York City. Held annually during the first weekend in June on the day after the New York Rathayatra, at the site of Srila Prabhupada's first temple in America. For details, call (212) 420-1130. E-mail: dayananda@msn.com. Website: Prabhupada Reunion in Atlanta. Held in early June at the New Panihati Community during the Panihati Festival and Rathayatra. The festivities include a parade and an elaborate offering of hundreds of clay pots filled with chipped rice, yogurt and fruits. E-mail bala108@earthlink.net. Phone: (404) 377-8680. Website: Prabhupada Family Reunion Festival at New Govardhana, Australia. Held during the Christmas to New Year's holidays, at the New Govardhana Farm near Murwillumbah, NSW.

Devotees from all over Australasia attend the festival, which includes seminars, theatrical performances, reminiscences, and the Rathayatra, or Festival of Chariots, on the beach at Byron Bay. There's also a bonus Rathayatra, when Lord Jagannatha joins the Byron Bay New Year's Eve parade, encircled by hundreds of Hare Krishna chanters, crowds of dazzled onlookers, fire-breathing entertainers, and didgereedoo players. Please contact New Govardhana Farm, P.O. Box 685, Murwillumbah, NSW 2484, Australia. Phone: +61 (02) 6672-6579. Fax: +61 (02) 6672-5498. If you know of other Prabhupada Festivals not mentioned here, or if you have a correction or update for the above, please contact us . 2257 reads Vrindavan Samadhi Srila Prabhupada's body is buried here, in Vrindaban, India, adjacent to ISKCON's Krishna-Balarama temple.

At this temple Srila Prabhupada spent his final days with devotees, absorbed in thought of Krishna. The samadhi is a beautifully designed, marble-clad building. Go to website Mayapur Pushpa Samadhi On the ISKCON campus at Mayapur, West Bengal, is a pushpa (“flower”) samadhi. Traditionally, a garland worn by a spiritual master is placed in the ground to dedicate a site in his honor. Srila Prabhupada’s followers built a magnificent domed shrine here over garlands that he was wearing when he left his body. The complex includes a temple, a museum, gardens, fountains, and an auditorium. Go to website Palace of Gold The New Vrindaban community, near Moundsville, West Virginia, USA, is home to Srila Prabhupada’s Palace of Gold, an ornate hilltop structure decorated with stained-glass windows, gold-leafing, intricate carving, and marble work. Devotees spent seven years building it—through bitter winters, months on scaffolds and long hours in craft shops—pitching in whatever talents and energy they had.

Today the Palace, a gift of love from the devotees to Srila Prabhupada, is a popular tourist destination, listed on the West Virgina Board of Tourism website as one of the state’s main attractions. Go to website Matchless Gifts At 26 2nd Avenue, Manhattan, New York, you’ll find the first temple Srila Prabhupada established in America and the Western world. This small storefront—the previous tenants had named it “Matchless Gifts”—became the first home of the Hare Krishna movement. Admission was free, and so was the mantra—all you needed was the sincerity to chant. The now-renovated temple is active again. Try to visit this special place. And a few blocks away, at Tompkins Square Park, the city of New York installed a commemorative plaque under a tree where Srila Prabhupada held the first public kirtan chanting sessions in 1966. Go to website Other Memorials At the following temples, devotees have carefully preserved the rooms where Srila Prabhupada lived. The links, where available, will take you to the temple’s website.

Vyasa-puja Homages 2011 Vyasa-puja is an annual celebration by devotees of Lord Krishna to offer homage to their guru, or spiritual teacher. Krishna Himself says that what He likes most is when someone likes His devotee. Each year, the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust publishes a limited number of copies of a Vyasa-puja book—a collection of homages to Srila Prabhupada from disciples and temples all over the world. We would like to invite you to submit your Vyasa-puja offering right here, to be published on Krishna.com. What have you learned from Srila Prabhupada? How has he affected your life? (If you met Srila Prabhupada) do you have personal memories of His Divine Grace that stand out in your mind? What instructions did you receive from him? What victories or successes have you enjoyed as a result of following his instructions or teachings? This opportunity is open to anyone who would like to thank Srila Prabhupada for spreading Krishna consciousness, and is not limited to homages in writing. Expressing gratitude comes in many forms.

If you’re shy about your writing skills, alternatives are welcome—you can send: text "All of You Become Just Like Me. . ." Ekendra dasa The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (known to his followers as Srila Prabhupada) in New York City in the summer of 1966. Prabhupada was born Abhay Charan De in 1896, into a family of Krishna devotees in Calcutta (Kolkata), India. In his early life, he worked as a sales representative for Bose Pharmaceuticals, raised a family, and was a supporter of Gandhi. In 1922, he attended a public lecture by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakur which would ultimately change the course of his life.

Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was a powerful speaker, distinguished scholar, and founder of the Gaudiya Math, an India-wide organization dedicated to propagating the teachings of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, the fifteenth century avatar of Krishna who popularized the public chanting of the Hare Krishna mantra as the prime means for self-realization in the modern age. At their first meeting, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta told Abhay Charan that he should spread the message of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu throughout the English-speaking world. Abhay Charan De took the instruction to heart. For the next thirty-seven years, he assisted the Gaudiya Math whenever possible. He became an initiated disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta. He seriously pondered how he would someday fulfill his spiritual master’s instruction. In 1959, he retired from his business and family life and began to dedicate his time to translating the epic Srimad Bhagavatam into English. In 1965, after completing thee volumes, he obtained free passage on a steamship bound for the United States. He was sixty-nine years old. He arrived in Manhattan with the equivalent of $20 US.

For over a year, he struggled in obscurity—living wherever he could, giving occasional classes on Bhagavad-gita. He often pondered returning to India, where he could at least live out the rest of his life on holy soil as a respected scholar and renounced gentleman (in hospitable weather). Then, gradually, his classes began to gain notoriety among a new, growing sub-section of New York society. These were young people—college age, generally—who had for the most part turned their backs on their middle-class family values and were looking for something else. Many had turned to drugs in an attempt to “transcend” their situation, and many were becoming interested in meditation, yoga, and anything “Eastern.” By the middle of 1966, Srila Prabhupada had attracted a couple dozen such sincere followers. He had even incorporated his mission legally as “ISKCON,” the “International Society for Krishna Consciousness,” although at that point the “movement” hadn’t spread beyond a few blocks in Lower Manhattan. Within three years, that would all change dramatically. Encouraged by his young supporters, Prabhupada began to travel more.

Wherever he went, it seemed, he found more and more people who eagerly embraced his teachings—which were actually Krishna’s teachings—to devote themselves to a God-conscious lifestyle, and encourage others to do the same. "All of you become just like me," he once said, "and just see what will be accomplished." By 1977, Srila Prabhupada had translated over eighty volumes of sacred Sanskrit texts, circled the globe fourteen times, initiated over five thousand disciples, established over one hundred centers for ISKCON, and made “Hare Krishna” a household word. His books, due to his great attention to detail and complete grasp of the subject matter, gained the appreciation of many scholars worldwide, and his translations have become standard texts in many universities. Many books have been written about Prabhupada. Without exception, history has shown him to be a highly cultured man of great integrity, unflinching principles, keen sense of humor, total compassion, deep knowledge and understanding, and chiefly as one of the greatest examples of pure devotion to Krishna the world has ever seen.

3081 reads A Prophecy Fulfilled Sesa dasa The flat, verdant ricelands of West Bengal’s district of Nadia appear timeless and remote. Farmers till the soil with oxen and wooden plows in this land seemingly unconcerned with today’s modern world. Yet Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who appeared here five hundred years ago, predicted that the spiritual movement He started here would be broadcast all over the world and would indeed change the direction of civilization. Sri Chaitanya inaugurated the sankirtana movement of the congregational chanting of the holy names of God. While living here in Nadia, He would travel from village to village, chanting Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/ Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare. The mission of the Lord is always to deliver the fallen souls, and this chanting works powerfully to reawaken the natural love of God dormant in our hearts. Lord Chaitanya, therefore, was fulfilling His mission of mercy simply by chanting and dancing.

Later, after entering the renounced order (sannyasa),Lord Chaitanya traveled throughout the Indian subcontinent chanting the holy names and dancing in ecstatic love of God. The Lord’s chanting would inspire others to chant and their chanting would inspire still others. In this way the sankirtana movement spread (and is continuing to spread) to every city, town, and village. Lord Chaitanya broadcast His message with mridanga drums and hand cymbals and traveled on fool. He did not spread His movement outside of India, although His plan was that all the peoples of the world would one day take up chanting the holy names and thus awaken their dormant love of God. To fulfill this vision. Lord Chaitanya requested His devotees to continue the momentum He had begun in the land of Nadia. Srila Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami, chief disciples of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, were dispatched to Vrindavana, the place of Krishna’s childhood pastimes. There, in pursuance of the Lord’s order, they authored many books explaining Lord Chaitanya’s teachings—not by creative speculation, but by respectfully and extensively citing the Vedic literature.

Rupa Gosvami and Sanatana Gosvami wrote and preached, and their disciples and their disciples’ disciples heard and repeated the teachings. Thus the teachings of Lord Chaitanya have been purely preserved throughout the five centuries since the Lord’s appearance. In 1896 the teachings of Lord Chaitanya reached the West. Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura, foremost of Nadia’s disciplic followers of Lord Chaitanya, sent a small book he had written in English to McGill University in Montreal. The book was part of his plan to spiritualize Western civilization. He predicted that soon devotees from all over the world would come together in the land of Nadia to worship Lord Chaitanya. Srila Bhaktivinoda’s son, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, expanded upon his father’s desire, utilizing modern means of transportation and communication, especially the printing press, to spread the sankirtana movement. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta likened the printing press to a big drum, a brihat mridanga. An ordinary mridanga is heard only within a small radius, but the printing press can be “heard” all over the world.

Since in Lord Chaitanya’s mission the book and drum carry the same message, to call the printing press a brhat mridanga is most fitting. And Srila Bhaktisiddhanta played his big mridanga, writing many volumes of transcendental literature in Bengali and English and encouraging his disciples to do the same. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta wanted to send his disciples to influential Western countries to preach. He saw that a preacher’s travel was no longer limited by geographical and cultural considerations. Modern transportation and communication had made the entire world into a great global community, with tremendous potential for spreading the movement of Lord Chaitanya. Most sincere Vaishnavas of the day simply saw the Western countries and their technological advancements as synonymous with materialism. How could a follower of Lord Chaitanya, they reasoned, go to the West or use Western gadgets and machines? But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta simply saw the opportunity to fulfill the great desire of Lord Chaitanya. In Calcutta in 1922, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta took an immediate interest in young Abhay Charan De.

Although Abhay Charan was later to be initiated by Srila Bhaktisiddhanta and eventually to become known the world over as Srila Prabhupada, the founder and spiritual master of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, at their first meeting he was startled to hear this venerable saint request him to take Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement to the English- speaking world. Abhay argued against Srila Bhaktisiddhanta’s proposal. India was a dependent nation under British rule; who would listen? But Srila Bhaktisiddhanta defeated this argument, stressing that Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement was transcendental to politics. The movement that Lord Chaitanya had begun in Nadia, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati explained, was not dependent upon any material circumstances. It would, by the pure desire of the Supreme Lord and His devotees, spread throughout the world. Abhay Charan heard and accepted the instructions of his spiritual master and started to mold his life by them.

It was not until August of 1965, after many years of preparation and struggle, that Srila Prabhupada boarded the steamship Jaladuta for New York City, the heart of Western civilization. Alone, and with little more than his simple sannyasi garb and forty rupees, he arrived in the completely strange and foreign land of America. But he had his copies of his translation of Srimad-Bhagavatam, and he carried the holy name of Krishna. He was the emissary of Lord Chaitanya. Using a pair of hand cymbals he had brought with him, Srila Prabhupada began his mission, chanting with a small band of young seekers on New York’s Lower East Side. With the help of a friend, Srila Prabhupada made a record album, chanting Hare Krishna to the accompaniment of a harmonium and a borrowed mridanga drum. As news of the Indian swami and his chant spread, more and more young people began joining him at his small storefront for morning and evening classes and chanting.

Embarking in January 1967 on his first airplane journey, Srila Prabhupada took the sankirtana movement to San Francisco. There he chanted in Golden Gate Park, drawing thousands of hippies anxious for the alternative answers the sankirtana movement offered. Srila Prabhupada had outlined these alternatives in the books that he was translating: Human society, at the present moment, is not in the darkness of oblivion. It has made rapid progress in the field of material comforts, education, and economic development throughout the entire world. But there is a pinprick somewhere in the social body at large, and therefore there are large-scale quarrels, even over less important issues. There is need of a clue as to how humanity can become one in peace, friendship, and prosperity with a common cause. Srimad- Bhagavatam will fill this need, for it is a cultural presentation for the respiritualization of the entire human society. Lord Chaitanya’s movement was not to be confined to the limited geographical boundaries of India or the counter-cultural world of America’s hippies. It was the spiritual movement of the age, meant for delivering all fallen souls from the sufferings of material existence.

Through his personal example, his writings, and his spoken instructions, Srila Prabhupada inspired his disciples to take up Lord Chaitanya’s cause. Within one year of his journey to San Francisco, he had completed his first world tour and had sent three couples to London. Within a short time, they had enlisted the help of Beatle George Harrison and had recorded the Hare Krishna chant for Apple Records. This record became a number-one hit on popular music charts all over Europe. And on the sidewalks of major cities of America and Europe, it became common to see sankirtana parties composed mainly of Western young people dressed in the fashion of Lord Chaitanya, playing mridanga drums and hand cymbals and chanting Hare Krishna. As Lord Chaitanya’s international movement grew, Srila Prabhupada instructed his disciples to increase the distribution of the books he had written. This was also sankirtana, he explained. Srila Prabhupada led the expansion of Lord Chaitanya’s sankirtana movement, circling the globe once or twice every year. Wherever he went he preached to government and religious leaders, as well as to the common man.

His unshakable faith made him confident that if anyone objectively heard the message of Lord Chaitanya, then that person’s life would be transformed. In his translation of Chaitanya- caritamrita he wrote, “The Krishna consciousness movement has spread all over the world within a very short time (within five years), and mundane people are very astonished at this. However, by the grace of Lord Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, we understand that everything is possible by the grace of Krishna.” The thousands of devotees from all over the world who have heard from Srila Prabhupada and who have responded by dedicating their lives to spreading the sankirtana movement are proof of the power of sankirtana. During his lifetime Srila Prabhupada traveled around the world fourteen times, visiting major cities on every continent. Yet wherever he went, he usually found himself far from the beloved birthplace of Lord Chaitanya in the land of Nadia.

He even once referred to an American city he was visiting as “this remote corner of the world”—remote because geographically, culturally, and spiritually, this city was removed from the transcendental atmosphere of that area in West Bengal where Lord Chaitanya took His birth and began His sankirtana movement. It was here in Nadia that Srila Prabhupada chose to establish the international headquarters for the Hare Krishna movement. And here, annually, in fulfillment of Lord Chaitanya’s prophecy, devotees from many nations gather to refresh their desire to spread His movement everywhere. 4848 reads Saints Offer Proof Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami That great saints exist is the most powerful proof for me that God exists. Few of us get excited about academic exercises proving God’s existence, and most of us have been born with a healthy amount of skepticism. Therefore, we need to find personal proofs, proofs that can conquer our doubts and convince us not only of God’s existence, but of our need for Him. Often, discussions about the philosophy of religion are just too abstract. They don’t touch our hearts.

What touches my heart is that throughout history certain human beings have developed a high degree of God realization and have acted upon it in their lives. I hadn’t met any great souls before I met Srila Prabhupada in the summer of 1966. I was raised Catholic, but in my nominally Catholic family I had never even heard about the lives of the Catholic saints, nor did I meet anyone who claimed to follow them. By the time I met Srila Prabhupada, I was a professed atheist. But I recognized Prabhupada’s saintliness at once, and it was both his saintliness and his own faith in Krishna’s existence that convinced me there was more to spirituality than I thought. When Prabhupada spoke, I was captivated. I had never heard such descriptions of saintly persons—Vyasadeva, Parikshit Maharaja, Lord Caitanya and His followers. And when Prabhupada plunged into explanations of transmigration, the spiritual world, karma, hell, I was able to look at the life he led and his intense dedication and certainty and find a frame of reference by which to accept such foreign concepts.

Every major religion has scriptures, most have an institution, and all have a mixture of adherents, some following strictly, some nominally, and others somewhere in the middle. Every religion also has a line of saints who have established and developed and directed the congregation’s faith. That small group of inwardly renounced stalwarts, who truly identify with the ultimate perfection being professed, are the living force behind the religion. Without their presence, people are not inspired to achieve the goal themselves. There is a story told in the Hassidic tradition of a famous guru who advised an aspirant to approach a particular saint. “If you want to know the truth, you should go to this saint not to hear the Torah, but to see how he puts on his shoes.” That is how we absorbed Krishna consciousness from Srila Prabhupada: We watched him put on his shoes and perform numerous other small and seemingly ordinary activities with such humility and extraordinary concentration on his Krishna conscious mission that his conviction in Krishna consciousness developed our own. Because such saints are far above us in conviction and ability to practice, we need to find the key by which we can apply their example in our lives.

The scriptures say we cannot imitate a saint’s behavior, and many of us have discovered the truth of this in one way or another. As we cannot become Krishna by pretending we can do what He did, so we cannot become a saint by imitating his or her activities. All we can do is appreciate the saint’s perfection and learn to aspire as the saint aspired. Admitting our fallen nature, we can nevertheless follow the instructions of the saintly teacher. We can also take courage from his or her example when we execute our own devotional service, and we can fall at the saint’s feet to beg for mercy and help. We can trust the saints, and trust their spiritual process. We can also hear their prayers. The scriptures are full of the prayers of saints. Here is a famous prayer by Srila Madhavendra Puri, exemplifying his exclusive devotion to Krishna and his renunciation of all mundane religion: "O my evening prayer, all good to you. O my morning bath, I bid you good-by. O demigods and forefathers, please excuse me. I am unable to perform any more offerings for your pleasure.

Now I have decided to free myself from all reactions to sins simply by remembering anywhere and everywhere the great descendent of Yadu and the great enemy of Kamsa, Lord Krishna. I think this is sufficient for me. What is the use of further endeavor?" We cannot imitate Madhavendra Puri’s prayer or his mood, but we can value it, and from his prayer and his life’s example, we too can learn to make an earnest cry from the heart. 2368 reads Serving the Words of His Predecessors Gopiparanadhana Dasa Srila A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada was the founder and organizer of a large worldwide religious movement; that he developed it in just twelve years, all after his sixty-ninth birthday, shows that he was not only practical, innovative, and determined but also spiritually empowered. Although these are valid reasons to think highly of Srila Prabhupada, he always de-emphasized his own abilities, preferring to be judged on the more objective grounds of his bona fide allegiance to the teachings of the Vaishnava tradition he represented. He did not credit his preaching success to any special abilities of his own.

As he once said, “I don’t claim that I am a pure devotee or perfect, but my only qualification is that I am trying to follow the instruction of the perfect.” In any case, spiritual realization is essentially a private matter, not open to objective evaluation. There are too many false saints who allow their disciples to fanatically advertise them as much greater than they really are. In the opinion of orthodox Vaishnavas, the saintliness of a person can be known only by someone just as saintly. To publicly establish spiritual authority, then, a teacher, rather than making an open spectacle of his intimate ecstasies, should simply speak philosophically on the basis of what previous authorities have said in scripture and on reputable commentaries of scripture. Srila Prabhupada wanted his own authority to be accepted according to how faithfully he lived up to that standard. The Gaudiya school of Vaishnavism to which Srila Prabhupada belongs was founded by Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in Bengal five centuries ago.

This Gaudiya sampradaya is officially connected with the Vaishnava school established by Madhva in the thirteenth century and also has strong philosophical and cultural bonds with the even older Sri Vaishnava school of Ramanuja. Although the founding teachers of other Vaishnava schools each wrote major commentaries on Badarayana Vyasa’s Vedanta-sutra and their followers carried on debate with Advaita impersonalists and others on the basis of their theistic interpretation of Vedanta, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu chose not to busy His own followers in the same way. He proposed that the ancient Bhagavata Purana (known also as Srimad-Bhagavatam) served perfectly well as a natural commentary on the Vedanta-sutra,having been written by the same Veda-vyasa. Lord Chaitanya advised His associates that since the Bhagavatam was already available and easily understandable, there was no need for them to compose new commentaries and sub-commentaries on Vedanta.

Another Purana, the Garuda Purana, corroborates Lord Chaitanya’s reliance on Srimad-Bhagavatam: purnah so ‘yam atishayah grantho ‘shtadasha-sahasram shri-bhagavatabhidhah “This [Purana] is perfectly complete. It is the purport of the Vedanta-sutra,establishes the meaning of the Mahabharata, is a commentary on Gayatri, and completes the message of the Vedas.It is the Sama Veda among the Puranas, spoken directly by an incarnation of God [Vyasa]. This work, consisting of twelve cantos, hundreds of chapters, and eighteen thousand verses, is called Srimad- Bhagavatam.” Srila Prabhupada considered the Srimad-Bhagavatam,along with the Bhagavad-gita, the substantial foundation of his International Society for Krishna Consciousness. He created ISKCON primarily for making the theology of the Gita and Bhagavatam universally accessible, and he directed his disciples to give priority to the work of publishing and distributing these two scriptures, in English and many other languages.

Srila Prabhupada’s opus magnum, a multi-volume English translation of and commentary on the Srimad- Bhagavatam, was unfortunately left incomplete when he passed away in 1977; it was finished, however, ten years later by the collaborative effort of a few of his disciples. Having served as an editor of this entire series of the Srimad-Bhagavatam and participated in its posthumous completion, I have gathered some insights into Srila Prabhupada’s hermeneutic methodology. In this essay, I will examine Srila Prabhupada’s translation and commentary on one verse from Srimad-Bhagavatam, with the aim of showing how he based his own presentation largely on the commentaries of previous authorities. Narada’s Allegory Srimad-Bhagavatam is presented as literal, albeit very ancient, history. A few narrations in this Purana, however, are intended to be understood as fiction—most of them allegories devised by one of the most frequent speakers in the Bhagavatam, the itinerant preacher Narada.

The text we are going to look at belongs to one of these allegorical passages, the story of King Puranjana told by Narada to Maharaja Prachinabarhi in Chapters 25-29 of the Fourth Canto. In brief, the imaginary Puranjana is equivalent to the Everyman figure in medieval European morality plays. He represents the illusioned soul suffering from misidentification with his temporary embodiment in material life. Puranjana tries for years to enjoy with his consort, the female personification of his material intelligence; he finally succumbs to old age, disease, and death, and then, because of too much attachment to his wife, takes his next birth as a woman. This female reincarnation of Puranjana marries a pious king who dies young, leaving his wife bewildered in lamentation. Our text occurs at this point in the narration, as the fifty-first verse of Chapter 28. It describes an unexpected visit by an old, forgotten friend.

Here are the original Sanskrit text and Srila Prabhupada’s translation: tatra purvatarah kashcit santvayan valguna samna tam aha rudatim prabho “My dear King, one brahmana, who was an old friend of King Puranjana, came to that place and began to pacify the Queen with sweet words.” Srila Prabhupada’s explanation of this verse, his “purport,” fills two pages. It is based on the short commentaries, each only a few lines long, by two standard Vaishnava teachers, Sridhara Swami and Vishvanatha Chakravarti. We will first describe these commentaries and then analyze how Srila Prabhupada used them. Sridhara’s Commentary The oldest extant commentary on Srimad- Bhagavatam was written by Sridhara Swami;older commentaries are known only by name or by isolated fragments.

No solid evidence supports his exact life span; Karl Potter has tentatively assigned his birth to the beginning of the fifteenth century, though Sridhara Svami may have lived earlier than that, since less than a century later Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu described Sridhara as being a venerable authority. In India, more than one century is usually needed for a commentator on traditional literature to become established as an authority. As far as is known, Sridhara Svami did not belong to any of the major Vaishnava schools, but was probably an initiated member of Sankara’s Advaita sampradaya.Nonetheless, the opinions he expressed in his commentaries on Srimad-Bhagavatam and the Vishnu Purana were staunchly Vaishnava.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s cutting comments to Vallabhacarya, a prominent Vaishnava, testify to the great respect Chaitanya had for Sridhara’s opinions, as Lord Chaitanya’s biographer Krishnadasa Kaviraja recounts: Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu smilingly replied, “One who does not accept the svami [husband] as an authority I consider a prostitute. ...You have dared criticize Sridhara Swami, and you have begun your own commentary on the Srimad-Bhagavatam, not accepting his authority. That is your false pride. Sridhara Svami is the spiritual master of the entire world because by his mercy we can understand the Srimad-Bhagavatam. I therefore accept him as a spiritual master. Whatever you might write due to false pride, trying to surpass Sridhara Swami, would carry a contrary purport. Therefore no one would pay attention to it.

One who comments on the Bhagavatam following in the footsteps of Sridhara Svami will be honored and accepted by everyone.” (Sri Chaitanya- charitamrita,Antya-lila 7.115 and 132-136) The two-sentence commentary of Sridhara Swami on the verse we are considering reads: “The friend who is ‘very old’ in the sense of being eternal without origin is the Supreme Lord, in accordance with the statement of revealed scripture beginning ‘Two birds …’ He addressed her with sweet words of consolation.” In the first sentence, Sridhara Swami identifies the old friend of the queen as every soul’s original friend, the supreme controller (ishvara). He supports this opinion by proposing that this verse of Srimad-Bhagavatam alludes to one of the oldest Vedic hymns.

Although it is well known that the verse beginning dva suparna occurs in both the Mundaka and Svetashvatara Upanishads, less well-known is that the verse is originally found, verbatim, in the First Mandala of the Rig Veda, the most archaic of scriptural sources: dva suparna sayuja sakhaya tayor anyah pippalam svadv atty anashnann anyo ‘bhicakashiti “Two friendly companion birds together reside on one tree. One of them is eating the tree’s fruits while the other does not eat but simply watches His friend.” Vaishnava commentators explain that this verse refers to God in His accompanying of the finite soul in all the soul’s incarnations in material existence. In every form of life, the finite soul and Supreme Soul sit together in the heart, one of them trying to enjoy material life and the other simply waiting for His eternal friend to remember Him.

Vishvanatha’s Commentary and Srila Prabhupada’s Purport The second commentary drawn upon by Srila Prabhupada in his purport to the Srimad-Bhagavatam 4.28.51 is the one written by Vishvanatha Cakravarti Thakura in the second half of the seventeenth century. Sri Vishvanatha Chakravarti was the most prominent spiritual master of sixth-generation Vaishnavas in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu’s sampradaya. Srila Vishvanatha led the Gaudiya Vaishnava community in Vrindavana during the time of the Mogul emperor Aurangzeb, who persecuted the Vaishnavas. Vishvanatha’s own predecessor was the celebrated devotional poet Narottama Dasa, and among his disciples was Baladeva Vidyabhushana, author of the Govinda-bhashya commentary on Vedanta- sutra. Vishvanatha Chakravarti’s commentary on this verse is four sentences long.

The first sentence suggests a deep meaning to the allegory of Queen Puranjani’s lamentation: “[This verse] implies that in such a mood of distress as is suffered when one’s spiritual master has departed from this world, a disciple can experience the direct presence of God.” In this realization of Vishvanatha Chakravarti, Everyman has been replaced with a rare, special soul—the surrendered disciple of a pure Vaishnava. Without any other qualifications of his own, a sincere disciple earns the right to see God simply by his attachment to his spiritual master. After the guru has passed away, the serious disciple does not lose his spiritual strength but continues to advance by remembering and executing the guru’s instructions. The intense devotional mood of separation can develop into direct vision of the Supreme Person. Vishvanatha Chakravarti’s second sentence is a near exact repeat of Sridhara Swami’s first sentence: “In this context, the friend who is ‘very old’ in the sense of being eternal without origin is the Supreme Lord, in accordance with such statements of revealed scripture as the one beginning ‘Two birds …’” In the tradition of Sanskrit commentary, this sort of “plagiarism” is considered ethical.

It is appropriate to simply repeat the statements of one’s predecessors when further explanation for one’s own generation is not required. To pretend to be original, furthermore, is frowned upon. Most of Vishvanatha Chakravarti’s contemporaries who could read Sanskrit were probably acquainted with Sridhara Swami’s commentary and would have recognized this citation; for those unfamiliar with Sridhara, Vishvanatha was being considerate by passing on the past master’s words. The third sentence explains why the old friend in the allegory appears as a brahmana: “He [the Supreme Lord in the heart] is a brahmana,or in other words, he is in the guise of a brahmana; by this [the present verse] means to inform us that without pure love of God one can never have direct realization of God’s true, original form.” The sincere disciple represented by Queen Puranjani is not prepared to fully realize God’s personality, but even in His disguised form the Lord kindly gives the soul instructions that enable him to gradually achieve perfection.

Vishvanatha Chakravarti’s fourth sentence explains another word in the verse, the adjective atma-van (literally, “self-possessed” or “self- realized”), which further characterizes the brahmana: “‘Self-possessed’ here means also having His original form, which He kept hidden within Himself.” Ordinarily, God, who sits silently within every person’s heart, limits His functions to being a witness, sanctioner, and facilitator of the living being’s endeavors. In the case of the rare soul who has become purified from material desires, God advises the soul directly from within the heart how to progress toward liberation. Besides being the Supersoul, however, He is simultaneously non-different from God in His full personal form. Those who progress beyond liberation to pure devotion thus realize their own personal relationship with God. Now we can look at Srila Prabhupada’s purport. He begins by retelling Vishvanatha Cakravarti’s second sentence, which, as we have seen, is Sridhara Svami’s first sentence and refers to the Upanishads and the Rg Veda.

Vishvanatha Cakravarti had said:“In this context, the friend who is ‘very old’ in the sense of being eternal without origin is the Supreme Lord, in accordance with such statements of revealed scripture as the one beginning ‘Two birds...’” Srila Prabhupada writes: Srila Prabhupada’s Purport Now we can look at Srila Prabhupada’s purport. He begins by retelling Vishvanatha Chakravarti’s second sentence, which, as we have seen, is Sridhara Svami’s first sentence and refers to the Upanishads and the ag Veda.Vishvanatha Chakravarti had said:“In this context, the friend who is ‘very old’ in the sense of being eternal without origin is the Supreme Lord, in accordance with such statements of revealed scripture as the one beginning ‘Two birds...’” Srila Prabhupada writes: The appearance of an old friend in the form of a brahmana is very significant. In His Paramatma feature, Krishna is the old friend of everyone. According to Vedic injunction, Krishna is sitting with the living entity side by side.

According to the shruti- mantra (dva suparna sayuja sakhayah), the Lord is sitting within the heart of every living entity as suhrit, the best friend. The Lord is always eager to have the living entity come home, back to Godhead. Sitting with the living entity as witness, the Lord gives him all chances to enjoy himself materially, but whenever there is an opportunity, the Lord gives good counsel and advises the living entity to abandon trying to become happy through material adjustment and instead turn his face toward the Supreme Personality of Godhead and surrender unto Him. Srila Prabhupada next presents the idea of Vishvanatha Chakravarti’s first sentence, which reads: “[This verse] implies that in such a mood of distress as is suffered when one’s spiritual master has departed from this world, a disciple can experience the direct presence of God.” From this, Srila Prabhupada’s derives the following: When one becomes serious to follow the mission of the spiritual master, his resolution is tantamount to seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. As explained before, this means meeting the Supreme Personality of Godhead in the instruction of the spiritual master. This is technically called vani-seva.

In Sanskrit the word vani means “the faculty of speech,” “words,” and “instructions.” Seva means “service.” A disciple can serve his spiritual master’s body (vapuh) whenever opportunities arise, but more important is serving his vani.Vani- seva is not limited by the absence of the person being served.Prabhupada continues in his purport: Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura states in his Bhagavad-gita commentary on the verse vyavasayatmika buddhir ekeha kuru-nandana (Bg. 2.41) that one should serve the words of the spiritual master. The disciple must stick to whatever the spiritual master orders. Simply by following on that line, one sees the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Then Srila Prabhupada renders the third sentence of Vishvanatha Chakravarti: “He [the Supreme Lord in the heart] is a brahmana,or in other words, he is in the guise of a brahmana; by this [the present verse] means to inform us that without pure love of God one can never have direct realization of God’s true, original form.” Srila Prabhupada writes, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Paramatma, appeared before the Queen as a brahmana, but why didn’t He appear in His original form as Sri Krishna? Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti Thakura remarks that unless one is very highly elevated in loving the Supreme Personality of Godhead, one cannot see Him as He is. Vishvanatha Chakravarti’s fourth sentence was “‘Self-possessed’ here means also having His original form, which He kept hidden within Himself.” Srila Prabhupada’s version of this is: Nonetheless, if one sticks to the principles enunciated by the spiritual master, somehow or other he is in association with the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Since the Lord is in the heart, He can advise a sincere disciple from within. This is also confirmed in Bhagavad-gita (10.10): tesham satata-yuktanam dadami buddhi-yogam tam yena mam upayanti te “To those who are constantly devoted and worship Me with love, I give the understanding by which they can come to Me.” Srila Prabhupada finishes his purport with a citation from another Vaishnava authority: In conclusion, if a disciple is very serious to execute the mission of the spiritual master, he immediately associates with the Supreme Personality of Godhead by vani or vapuh. This is the only secret of success in seeing the Supreme Personality of Godhead. Instead of being eager to see the Lord in some bush of Vrindavana while at the same time engaging in sense gratification, if one instead sticks to the principle of following the words of the spiritual master, he will see the Supreme Lord without difficulty.

Srila Bilvamangala Thakura has therefore said: bhaktis tvayi sthiratara bhagava yadi syad daivena nah phalati divya-kishora- murtih muktih svayam mukulitanjali sevate ‘sman dharmartha-kama-gatayah samaya- pratikshah Seeing God A conversation with His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada Srila Prabhupada: So religion means to abide by the laws of God. That’s all. It cannot be “ Hindu ,” “Muslim,” “Christian.” Take the state law: in the state there are many persons, many citizens of the state—but the law does not stipulate that “This is for the Christians,” “This is for the Jews,” “This is for the black men,” “This is for the white men.” The law is not like that. The law is the same for everyone. You cannot say, “This is the black law,” “This is the white law.” No. That is not very scientific. The scientific understanding is that God is there and we are all under His law.

God is great, we are His subordinates. and we have to obey His orders. That is the genuine spiritual platform. That is genuine religion. Am I right or wrong? Reporter 3: You’re right. Srila Prabhupada: Therefore you cannot say “Christian religion,” “Hindu religion,” “Muslim religion.” Religion is religion. God is neither Christian nor Hindu nor Muslim. God is God. God is one. God is one. But we understand Him from different angles of vision. And those different angles of vision may be called “the Christian angle of vision” or “the Hindu angle of vision” or “the Jewish angle of vision” or “the Muslim angle of vision.” But that is simply an angle of vision. Now, let us take the example of the sun. Here in Australia, June is a cooler month, and we may see the sun as not so warm. But you ask some African friend whether the sun is warm. “Oh, it is very warm.” So his appreciation of the sun from his angle of vision is different from your appreciation here. But factually, the sun is one and the same.

There is no such thing as the “Australian sun” or the “African sun.” So factually, there is no such thing as “Hindu religion,” “Muslim religion,” “Christian religion.” You see’? These conceptions are all due to our sophisticated mind. Just as God is one, religion is one: you must know what God is, and you must know what His order is—and you must abide by it. Then you are religious. That’s all. We are preaching like that. Reporter 6: So it seems you are saying, then, that by holding to their conception of a “Muslim” or “Jewish” or “Hindu” or “Christian” God, people are not actually realizing God. And yet one of the most important purposes of human life is to realize God, correct? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That is the only purpose. Except for fulfilling that purpose, anything we are doing is animalism. We are simply jumping about, just as the dog is jumping about, that’s all. If we do not realize God, what is the difference between our life and a dog’s?

A dog is thinking, “I am a very stout bulldog.” And a man is thinking, “I am a very well-to-do Dutchman.” So what is the difference between the dog and the man? Their mentality is the same. The dog is thinking, “I am this body, “and the man is equally thinking, “I am this body.” But when one understands, “I am not this body—I am a spirit, and I emanate from the supreme spirit,” that is humanity. Reporter 6: So, Your Divine Grace, have you realized God? Srila Prabhupada: What do you think? What is your opinion? Reporter 6: I can’t say. Srila Prabhupada: Then if I say “Yes,”, what will you understand? If you are not yourself expert, then even if I say “Yes; I am God realized,” how will you take it as truth? If you do not know what God realization is. then how can you ask this question, and how will you be satisfied with the answer? Reporter 6: Well. what is God realization? Srila Prabhupada: First make sure you understand this idea.

Now, for instance, if one medical man asks another man, “Are you a medical man’.” and the other man says “Yes,” then the first man will understand by their exchange of technical terms whether the second man is truly a medical man. But unless one is himself a medical man, what is the use of asking another man, “Are you really a medical man?” So for you it is useless to ask about my having realized God, unless you are prepared to accept my answer. Are you? Reporter 6: Yes. Srila Prabhupada: Then it is all right. I am God realized. I am seeing God at every moment. Reporter 5: Your Divine Grace, do you see meditation as a means to God realization? Srila Prabhupada: Yes, meditation is also a means, but you cannot meditate now, because you do not know what God is. Meditation means meditation upon something or someone. But if you do not know what God is, upon what or whom will you meditate? First of all, you must know about God.

For instance, we know about God, Krishna, and in the Bhagavad-gita Krishna says, man-mana bhava mad-bhaktah: “Always think of Me.” So we meditate upon Krishna. This is perfect meditation—because meditation means to think of God. But if you do not know what God is, how will you think of Him? Reporter 3: Your Divine Grace, it is written in many scriptures that God is light. Srila Prabhupada: God is everything. God is darkness, also. Therefore the Srimad-Bhagavatam clearly defines God as “that being from whom emanates everything that exists.” Light exists, yet darkness also exists. So just as light emanates from God, darkness also emanates from God. Reporter 5: Is meditation a way to see God inside yourself? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. That is the proper definition of meditation. Dhyanavasthita-tad- gatena manasa pashyanti yam yoginah: by concentrating their mind upon God, the yogis try to see Him within their heart. But to concentrate your mind on God and ultimately see Him, you must first know what God is.

In our institution, for instance, our students first learn “what God is—God’s attributes. In that at way they can think of God. But if you have no idea of God, how will you think of Him? (To be continued.) Hare Krishna NYC | 305 Schermerhorn Street Brooklyn NY Hare Krishnas list Brooklyn headquarters for $60M Religious organization’s longtime home offers 187K buildable square feet April 09, 2014 01:00PM « Previous Next » From left: 295-309 Schermerhorn Street, Andrew Sassoon and David Schechtman The International Society for Krishna Consciousness, also known as the Hare Krishna movement, wants to sell its U.S. headquarters in Downtown Brooklyn for upwards of $60 million, or more than $300 per buildable square feet, The Real Deal has learned. The four-story, 34,000-square-foot property at 295-309 Schermerhorn Street boasts 187,000 square feet, and currently houses a temple and vegetarian restaurant Govinda’s.

Sri Sri Radha Govinda Mandir has owned the building since 1983, according to documents obtained by TRD. The site has 155 feet of frontage along Schermerhorn Street. The religious organization is looking for a new home in Queens. The bulk of the society’s members live in that borough, sources said. Eastern Consolidated executive managing director David Schechtman and associate director Andrew Sassoon are marketing the site and also assisting with scouting a new location, sources said. A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness in the city in 1966. The religious organization is primarily based in Mayapur, India, and a spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment. The initial Hare Krishna location in the city was 26 Second Avenue in the East Village . The movement relocated in the late 1960s, and then re-leased the space there in 1991. New York Real Estate News Daily Updates South Florida Real Estate News Daily Updates Los Angeles Real Estate News Daily Updates New York Real Estate News Daily Updates South Florida Real Estate News Daily Updates Los Angeles Real Estate News Daily Updates

Question: The International Society of Krishna Consciousness, also known as The Hare Krishna Movement, has its headquarters in which Indian city?
Answer: Mayapur